Aerial ropeway



March 6, 1956 A. SCHULE AERIAL ROPEWAY Filed May 31, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet1 I IV 1/54/7019 AZBI/PTJOW/ZE March 6, 1956 A. SCHULE 2,737,124

AERIAL ROPEWAY Filed May 51, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r 2 737,124 I VP'atented Mari. 65 6 My present invention. relates to improvementsinaerial rope-ways comprising a stationary carrier rope and a travellingtraction rope for the load carrying units. The objects of theimprovements disclosed herein are first to provide a simple constructionfor automatically disengaging the said units from the traction rope atthe points provided therefore, second to readily reengage the said unitsto the traction rope, and third to erect curved sections by simplyinclining the axes of the rope guiding rollers, without need ofcomplicated intermediate stations and the like for the traction rope.

I attain these and related objects by the aerial ropeway shown, by wayof example, in one form of invention in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a side view or a section of the ropeway,

Fig. 2 is a portion of Fig. l in a larger scale and, in dash-and-dotlines, another point of the ropeway,

Fig. 3 is an end-view of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a detail in top plan view.

The ropeway, shown partly in Fig. 1, comprises a stationary carrier rope10 which, as is conventional in aerial ropeways, is secured tosupporting towers 12 through skids 11. A traction rope 13 runs above thecarrier rope 10 and is guided by means of rollers 14 which are mountedon the towers 12 and will be described subsequently. The ropewaypreferably is formed into an endless track so that the traction rope 13has to be driven in one direction only, for which purpose means areprovided which are known per se and not shown.

A plurality of load carrying units 15 are suspended from the rope 10.Each unit 15 comprises a tub 17 for the material to be conveyed, whichtub is pivoted to the legs of a strirrup 16. The web of the stirrup isprovided with a rigid hanger arm 18 of which the upper end is pivoted toa truck 19. The latter comprises two rollers 20 which run on the rope 10and each of which has a circumferential groove 21 for accommodating therope. A draw-bar 22 is pivoted to the top side of truck 19. The upperfree end of said draw-bar is pivoted to an element 23 which is engagedto the traction rope 13. The shape of said element 23 may be clearlyseen from Figs. 2 to 4.

The element 23 comprises a helical portion 24 which is engaged to thetraction rope 13 and is connected to one end of a leg 26 through ahorizontal portion 25 which is substantially at right angles to thetraction rope. The leg 26 extends in a vertical plane which issubstantially parallel to the traction rope 13, and that end of leg 26which is remote from the helically coiled portion 24 is bent oif atright angles. Such bent-oft portion 27 is engaged in a suitably shapedrecess at the upper end of the draw-bar 22 and serves as pivot for theelement 23.

From Figs. 2 to 4 there follows that the pivot 26 stands substantiallyhorizontal and transverse to the traction rope 13. Owing to the portion25, the leg 26 and the draw-bar 22 are situated laterally of thevertical plane passing through the traction rope 13. The element 23 withits portions 24-27 is made of a single piece or round stock which isbent to the shape described. The helical portion 24 comprises a turn ofa little more than a single complete revolution and has a lead such thatthe traction rope 13 may be laterally introduced into the turn, when thelatter is properly positioned with respect to the rope.

The rollers 14 which guide the traction rope 13 comprise two guideflanges 28 and 29 of which the latter is toothed. when the load-carryingunits 15 during their travel with rope 13 pass the rollers 14, theportion 25 of element 23 projects into one of the gaps between the teethor'liange 29 so as not to hinder the transport movement through therollers 14. p

The axes of the rollers 14 are horizontal on stright ropeway sections,as shown by solid llIlS in Fig. 3. In low-degree curves the rolleraxesare inclined, as shown at 14a in Fig. 3, whilst in high-degreecurves the rolleraxes may be vertical, as shown at in Fig. 3.

The hanger 18 or the units 15 may be situated on the same side of thetruck 19 as the draw-bar 22, as shown by solid lines at 18 in Fig. 3,but also on the opposite side as shown in Fig. 3 at 16a by dash-and-dotlines.

in the conveying sections of the ropeway, the traction rope 13 is run atsuch a spacing from the carrier rope 10 that the elements 23 or theunits 15 are automatically locked to the traction rope, whereby theunits 15 are taken along by the rope 13. The draw-bar 22 then applies aturmng moment on the leg 25 of the element 23 m direction or the arrowP, whereby the axis of the turn 24 is set at an angle to the tractionrope 13 so as to clamp the latter. when the traction rope 13 travels indirection of the arrow Q, the units 15 are engaged thereto, whereby thetraction force on the draw-bar 22 as required for overcoming thefriction, accelerating the mass and for overcoming gradients, increasesthe clamping ettect by raising the turning moment in the sense of arrowP. The greater the load to be transported, the higher the clampingett'ect of the turn 24 on the traction rope.

At certain points or" the ropeway, viz. where the units 15 have to beloaded or unloaded, the spacing of the traction rope 13 from the carrierrope 10 is reduced, as shown in Fig. 2 at 13a by dash-and-dot lines. Forsuch purpose, the traction rope may be run underneath one or more of therollers 14, as shown in Fig. 2. When a load-carrying unit 15 travels onthat section of the ropeway in which the traction rope 13 approaches thecarrier rope 10 to a certain distance therefrom, the drawbar 22 and theelement 23 assume the positions 220 and 23a shown by dash-and-dot linesin Fig. 2 with respect to the traction rope, in which the element 22a isdisengaged from the traction rope. The unit 15 thus is disengaged fromthe travelling rope 13 and may be loaded or unloaded after it has cometo rest.

In order to re-engage the units 15 to the traction rope, the appurtenantelement 23 through coil 24 is engaged to the traction rope in the mannerrequired, and the turning moment required for a clamping action isexerted by hand until the unit 15 thus engaged develops by itself thetuming moment according to arrow P.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1 An aerial ropeway for the transport of a load, comprising a tractionrope capable of movement in the direction of its axis, a stationarycarrier rope substantially parallel to said traction rope, a tractionrope-engaging member having a helical portion and an arm, said helicalportion being provided with substantially one complete turn forengagement with said traction rope, a load carrying unit adapted to ridealong said carrier rope, and a draw bar pivotally connected at one endto said load carrying unit, said arm of said member being pivotallyconnected to said draw bar at the other end of the latter for pivotalmovement relative to said draw bar about an axis which is substantiallyhorizontal and perpendicular to both said traction rope and said drawbar, the curvature of said helical portion being predetermined to effectauto matic locking of said member and thereby of said load carrying unitto said traction rope when the distance between said ropes exceeds acertain value, and to effect automatic disengagement of said member fromsaid traction rope when the distance between said ropes is less thansaid certain value.

2. An aerial ropeway according to claim 1, said arm of said memberincluding a first leg portion disposed in a vertical plane parallel tosaid traction rope, one end of said first leg portion being connected tosaid helical portion, and a second leg portion connected to the otherend of said first leg portion and extending at right angles to thelatter, said draw bar being provided with a recess, said second legportion being disposed within said recess and forming said axis ofpivotal movement of said member relative to said draw bar.

3. An aerial ropeway according to claim 2, said arm of said memberincluding a portion which is disposed transversely to said traction ropein a substantially horizontal direction and interconnects said helicalportion with said first leg portion, said draw bar being disposed in avertical plane parallel to those passing through said traction rope andsaid first leg portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS773,901 Streuli Nov. 1, 1904 1,064,919 Lamb June 17, 1913 1,101,635Koselak June 30, 1914 1,422,255 Carstarphen July 11, 1922 2,079,491Cooke May 4, 1937 2,200,965 Morton May 14, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 804,040France July 27, 1936

